No Rutgers player stands to benefit more than Paul James from the three-week
layoff before the Pinstripe Bowl matchup against Notre Dame on Dec. 28. The running back missed four games after suffering a leg injury in
September and was less than 100 percent at the end of the regular season with
an injury to his other leg.

Coach Kyle Flood said Tuesday he expects James to be
healthier for the bowl game, which is good news Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights
will need to lean heavily on James to upset the Irish at Yankee Stadium.

A healthy dose of James has been a recipe for success this
season, as Rutgers is 4-2 when he has at least 17 carries. The Scarlet Knights
are 2-4 when James doesn't meet that mark, which includes the four games he
missed early in the season, and the UConn loss on Nov. 30 when he played only
the first half.

James was a workhorse in the bowl-clinching 31-6 win over
South Florida in the regular season finale last Saturday, logging a career-high
26 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns.

"It's huge," quarterback Chas Dodd said of James' presence.
"Knowing that you're able to run the ball, it's able to set so many other
things up and that's what we were able to do."

Although the 2-10 Bulls produced a lackluster effort at a
frigid High Point Solutions Stadium on Saturday, their run defense is no
pushover. The Bulls finished the season ranked 29th in the nation against the
run, but they were no match for James.

Leading 21-6 with the ball on their own 31 late in the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights turned to James to ice the game. The redshirt sophomore touched the ball on the next
eight plays, picking up 38 yards. After a two-play break, James went back to
work and finished the drive with four straight carries, including a 1-yard TD
run.

The 14-play, 69-yard drive chewed up 8:15, with James
accounting for 58 yards on 12 touches.

"As a running back, you want to get the ball every play,"
James said. "You know there's times they have to pass the ball and everything,
but on that drive where I was getting the ball a lot, it's definitely a running
back's dream. I felt great out there."

James had been listed as questionable on the injury report
all week leading up to the game, but he said he felt better each day in
practice. He woke up Saturday feeling "really good," but there's still room
to improve.

"I wouldn't say completely 100 percent healthy because this
late in the season, you're never 100 percent healthy," James said. "But my body
felt great. I felt like I was 100 percent to play the game."

Despite playing in less than eight full games, James
finished with 833 yards (5.7 yards per attempt) and nine touchdowns to earn
first team all-American Athletic Conference honors. James was at his best early
in the season before the injuries, so the expectation is he'll return to
that form with the extra time to recover for the bowl game.

"It's going to be a long stretch, but I feel like your last
game kind of gives you a little boost on what you're going to do the next
game," James said. "You kind of see what you already did and you want to do
better. I think it kind of gives us a boost."